The Microbiological Quality of Concentrates for Horses-A Retrospective Study on Influencing Factors and Associations with Clinical Symptoms Reported by Owners or Referring Vets.

This research study investigates the microbial quality of horse feed concentrates, and its potential effects on horse health, particularly respiratory, gastrointestinal, and liver disorders. Notably, this study reveals that these concentrates’ hygiene status is pertinent to horses’ respiratory health.

Article’s Key Objectives and Methodology

• In this study, researchers intended to explore the implications of the microbiological quality of horse feed concentrates on horses’ health. Previous studies have indicated that spores and endotoxins from mold in feed can cause chronic, non-infectious respiratory conditions in horses if inhaled. There have also been suspicions that inadequacies in feed microbiology can lead to gastrointestinal and liver disorders.
• Most of the earlier research on horse feed hygiene has concentrated on forage. This study, however, is an attempt to expand this line of research to the hygiene of horse feed concentrates, an area not adequately explored so far.
• This was a retrospective study, analyzing the data on the hygienic quality of compound feed and cereals for horses. This included sensory findings, the counts of aerobic bacteria, molds and yeasts ascertained through cultivation, and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) contents.

Findings From the Research

• The study found the microbial count in compound feeds to be higher than the VDLUFA orientation values more frequently than cereals (38.4% compared to 22.6%). This is significant because VDLUFA orientation values are widely accepted guidelines for feed hygiene.
• Interestingly, while compound feeds exceeded VDLUFA values more often, the average counts of bacteria, molds, and yeasts were actually higher in cereals than compound feed outstandingly.
• The study discovered that mold counts in grains significantly increased if their dry matter content was below 86%. This suggests that maintaining dry matter content above this level could be a way to control mold levels in horse feed.
• One key finding was that no direct relationship could be established between anamnestically reported gastrointestinal disorders or liver enzyme activities and microbiological deviations in horse feeds.
• Nevertheless, the study revealed a significant relationship between horse respiratory health and the mold count in horse feed. It was noted that in cases where concentrates were suspected to cause coughing in horses, the mold counts were significantly higher than mold counts of control samples. This strongly indicates that the microbiological status or hygiene level of horse feed concentrates is critical for the respiratory health of horses.

Conclusion and Implications

• The study observes that the hygienic status of horse feed concentrates directly relates to their respiratory health. Horses exposed to a higher mold count in their feed tended to display symptoms of coughing.
• Though the study failed to establish a direct relationship between feed microbiology and gastrointestinal disorders or liver enzymes’ activities, the focus on respiratory health underlines the need for more extensive research on other potential health effects of sub-optimal hygiene in horse feed.
• The study reveals opportunities for improved horse health management, shedding light on the need for better hygiene control and possibly regulations in the production of horse feed concentrates.